Device for transloading floating containers

ABSTRACT

A transloading device, especially for ships, in which the device includes a vertically moveable support frame engageable with a floating container from above while a floating body is provided for engaging the side of a container to be lifted. Vertical tracks on the ship at one side of the support frame have carriages engaging the support frame from beneath while tracks on the other side of the support frame and at a higher level than the first mentioned tracks have carriages that engage the support frame from above. The engagement of the carriages with the support frame prevents swinging movement thereof while it is being moved vertically.

United States Patent 1191 Macrander 1 Sept. 4, 1973 1 1 DEVICE FOR TRANSLOADING FLOATING 3,572,274 3/1971 Brauer et a1. 114/415 3,661,279 5/1972 Macrander 214/15 R CONTAINERS Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Frank E. Werner Attorney-Walter Becker 5 7 ABSTRACT A transloading device, especially for ships, in which the device includes a vertically moveable support frame engageable with a floating container from above while a floating body is provided for engaging the side of a container to be lifted. Vertical tracks on the ship at one side of the support frame have carriages engaging the support frame from beneath while tracks on the other side of the support frame and at a higher level than the first mentioned tracks have carriages that engage the support frame from above, The engagement of the carriages with the support frame prevents swinging movement thereof while it is being moved vertically.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDSEP 4191s I SHEET 2 BF 3 illl,lJ

DEVICE FOR TRANSLOADING FLOATING CONTAINERS In US. Pat. No. 3,66] ,279, issued May 9, 1972, there has been described a device for transloading floating containers with a hoist located, for instance, on a ship, and comprising cable winches. According to this device, cables pass over blocks on a supporting frame to drums of hoists which follow the motion of the sea while a device is provided for coupling the supporting frame with the respective container to be lifted out of the water or to be lowered into the water.

in this connection it is provided that a container which, for instance, by means of a tugboat, or the like, has been floated to the ship will be so held that also at high sea and wind the supporting frame can be reliably coupled to the container and that collisions between the floating containers and the ship, or the like, especially with the rudder of the ship and the ship propeller will be avoided. To this end, the floating container rests in an approximately horizontal direction against the ship, or the like, through the intervention of a floating body which may, for instance, by bars be so rested against the ship, or the like, that it can move upwardly or downwardly in conformity with the waves. The floating body contains magnets adapted to be energized and de-energized, by means of which the floating body can be firmly connected to a side wall of the floating container. The floating body may, for instance, by means of cable winches be so adjusted transverse to the said bars, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the container, that the floating container will also in this direction assume the correct position relative to the supporting frame to be placed thereon.

it is an object of the present invention to prevent that the supporting frame which is suspended on the cables of the hoist carries out pendulum movements by which the placing of the supporting frame on the floating container might be made difficult.

lt is furthermore an object of the present invention to avoid that the container coupled to the supporting frame will be prevented from carrying out harmful pendulum movements by means of which the transloading operation may be interfered with or delayed and which pendulum movements might otherwise occur when the container is being lifted out of the water and is lifted subsequently, especially over the deck of the ship and when the container is lowered from the deck into the water.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:-

FIG. I illustrates the stern of a ship for the container transport with a floating container and a device according to the invention as seen from the side.

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the device of'FlG. l partly in side view and partly in section.

FIG. 3 shows another'portion of the device according to the invention partly in side view and partly in section.

FIG. 4 represents a section taken along the line lV--lV of FIG. 1 but on a larger scale than the latter.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line V-V of FIG. 4.

The device according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the supporting frame through the intervention of guiding members is adapted movably along a vertical plane to be connected to supports for a guiding track and that these guiding track supports can on one hand be suspended on the ship, or the like, and on the other hand are supported by the floating body in such a way that relative to the floating body they cannot carry out any material movements in vertical direction, but can carry out tilting movements and permit upward and downward movements of the floating body. When the lifting stroke of the supporting frame or of the container is considerable, especially when the deck of the ship is rather high above the water level, it may occur that the said guiding track supports which are supported by the floating body will not suffice. In such an instance, according to a further development of the invention, it is provided that for preventing pendulum movement of the supporting frame, the supporting frame may within its lifting and lowering path adjacent to the guiding track support on that side of the supporting frame which faces away from the guiding track supports be connected through the intervention of additional guiding members to two further guiding track supports mounted on the ship, or the like.

The guiding members which are displaceably guided on the first mentioned guiding track supports supported by the floating body are expediently under the influence of driving means, for instance, of counter weights which tend to move the guiding members upwardly. In these circumstances the supporting frame will, during its downward movement, enter with these guiding members into a positive follower connection while the resistance of the driving means against the downward movement of the guiding members will be overcome. On the other hand during the upward movement of the supporting frame the follower connection of the latter with the guiding members will be disengaged or made ineffective when said guiding members have reached the upper ends of the pertaining guiding tracks. The guiding members which are guided on the guiding track supports supported by the floating body are expediently provided with hooks open in upward direction by means of which hooks during the upward direction of the supporting frame extensions on said supporting frame establish the follower connection.

The guiding of the supporting frame or of the container in the upper range of the lifting and lowering path or stroke is expediently so effected that during the upward movement of the supporting frame shortly before its follower connection is disengaged from those guiding members guided on the guiding track supports supported by the floating body, the supporting frame enters into a positive follower connection with the further guiding track members and overcomes the forces of gravity of said members. This follower connection is, during the upward movement of the supporting frame, disengaged shortly before the supporting frame enters into the follower connection with the first mentioned guiding members. The further guiding members which pertain to the upper range of the lifting and lowering path or stroke are provided with hooks which expediently are open in downward direction and by means of which during the upward movement of the supporting frame, extensions-arranged on said supporting frame enter into the follower connection.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the stern of the ship 1 is at the level of the upper deck 2 continued in rearward direction in the form of two fork-shaped protruding supports 3. These supports 3 carry a hoist with four winch drums 4 which include non-illustrated drums of a device for following the movement of the sea, said hoist being arranged in spaced relationship to and above the upper deck 2. The winch cables 5 extend from the winch drums 4 between the two supports 3 in downward direction and carry lower blocks or pulleys 6 having suspended thereon a rectangular supporting frame 7. This is effected by means of coupling members 8 located at the corners of said frame 7. These coupling members 8 have truncated pyramidal recesses which when the supporting frame 7 is placed on a container 9 floating in the water, are fittingly engaged by connecting members 10 which are mounted on the top side of the container. By locking the connecting members 10 to the coupling members 8 extending thereabove, the container 9 is coupled to the supporting frame 7.

Container 9, which may have been floated by a tugboat, or the like, to the position below the space intermediate the supports 3 rests against the ship 1 in the longitudinal direction thereof by means of a floating fender 11 and by means of two bars 12.

The floating fender 11 comprises a sheet metal box which is closed on all sides and which has such buoyancy that while floating in the water it partially protrudes therefrom. The said sheet metal box has a vertical engaging surface 13 which has the same length as the container 9. Both ends of the floating fender 11 have rubber wheels 14 with vertical axes of rotation journaled in said fenders 11 in such a way that they protrude somewhat relative to the engaging surface 13 and are adapted to engage the container 9 between its two end faces. When the container 9 is moved onto the floating fender 11, but is not yet aligned relative thereto in longitudinal direction, its respective side wall slightly rolls on the rubber wheels 14 journaled at the ends of the floating fender 11, until the position shown in FIG. 5 is obtained, according to which one side wall engages the surface 13 between the rubber wheels 14. In this position a strong connection between the floating containers 9 and the floating fenders 11 is effected by electromagnets 15 which are inserted into the floating fender 11 in such an arrangement that their pole surfaces are in alignment with the engaging surface 13 and when thecontainer 9 engages said surface 13 are located opposite the supporting studs of steel which are set into the container 9 below the connecting members 10.

The bars 12 are, on one hand by ball joints 16 in the rear of the electromagnets 15, connected to the floating fender l1,and on the other hand are by ball joints [7 connected to the ship 1. The bars 12 extend in the starting position of FIG. 1 substantially horizontally and prevent the floating container 9 connected to the floating fender 11 from approaching the ship 1 to such an extent that a collision of the container 9 with the rudder 18, or the ship propeller 19, might occur. On the other hand, the bars 12 prevent the floating container'from escaping from the ship toward the rear. This will, due to the strong design of the electromagnets 5 also be assured at high flow velocities of, for instance, l.5 meters per second. The bars 12 include buffers 20 with preloaded springs by means of which harmful shocks are avoided even at high impact velocities.

It is also possible to secure the position of the floating fender 11 in the longitudinal direction of the ship. This is effected by means of two non-illustrated cable winches, the cables 21 of which (FIG. 4) are passed over two reversing rollers 22 on both sides in spaced relationship to the vertical longitudinal central plane 23 of the ship and are passed to oppositely located connecting members 24 on the ends of the floating fender 11 while said cables 21 cross each other. The connection of the cables 21 to the connecting members 24 is effected through the intervention of fenders 25 which bring about a certain yieldability in order to avoid shocks in the longitudinal direction of the container connected to the floating fender 11. By means of the cables 21 it is possible by correspondingly actuating the pertaining cable winches, to align the floating fender 11 with the container 9 in the longitudinal direction of container 9 centrally with regard to the vertical longitudinal central plane 23 of the ship so that the setting down of the supporting frame 7 onto the container 9 can be easily effected. In view of the ball joints l6, 17, the bars 12 may tilt upwardly and downwardly within certain limits. The bars 12 will thus be able to adapt themsleves to differences in the draft of the ship 1 at different loading conditions of the ship or to the movements of the sea. Furthermore, when the floating fender 11 is not required for the transloading of containers 9, the bars 12 may be tilted upwardly to such an extent that the floating fender occupies the position above the water level which position is indicated in FIG. 1 by dot-dash lines. In this position the floating fender 11 engages the rear wall of the body of the ship and may be latched. The lifting of the floating fender 11 is effected by means of non-illustrated winches, the cables 26 of which, engage the connecting member 24.

For purposes of preventing pendulum movements of the supporting frame 7 and, if necessary, of a container 9 coupled thereto while said container is suspended on cables 5, there are provided for the lower range of the lifting and lowering stroke 2 guiding track supports in the form of rails 27 with an I-shaped profile. These rails have their upper ends suspended on the body of the ship in cardanic joints 28 which are located somewhat lower than the bottom sides of the support 3. The suspension is such that the rails extend in slight spaced relationship to the side wall of the container 9 which engages the floating fender 11. The rails 27 are spaced from the vertical longitudinal central plane 23 of the ship by a distance which is less than the distance between the electromagnets l5 and the vertical longitudinal central plane 23 of the ship. The rails 27 pass through shaft-like openings 29 of the floating fender l 1 which openings widen in downward direction. Above the openings 29, the rails 27 are embraced by rollers 30 in such a way that at this place they cannot carry out any material movements in horizontal direction relative to the floating fender 11, but are able to carry out tilting movements relative to the floating fender 11 in conformity with the downward widening of the openings 29.

Displaceably mounted on each rail 27 is a guiding member in the form of a carriage 31, the rollers 32 of which, are on both sides guided between the flanges of the rail. Each carriage 31 is acted upon by a counter weight 33 in such a manner that the carriage has the tendency to pull in upward direction. This is effected through the intervention of a cable 34 passed over reversing rollers 35 at the level of the joints 38.

Each carriage 31 has its rear side provided with a hook 36 opening in upward direction. As shown in FIG. 2, hook 36 engages from below with play an eye 37 provided on the supporting frame 7. The eyes 37 will, when the frame 7 is lowered, take along the carriage 31 against the resistance of the counter weights 33. When the supporting frame 7 is lifted, the hooks 36 of the two carriages 31 remain in engagement with the eyes 37 inasmuch as they are pulled upwardly by the counter weights 33 while following the supporting frame 7. In each instance, the supporting frame 7 is prevented from carrying out pendulum movements while it moves upwardly or downwardly along the rails 27. This is due to the fact that in view of the engagement of the eyes 37 by the hooks 36, with the exception of the above mentioned play, movements of the supporting frame 7 in random horizontal directions relative to the rails 27 are prevented. These rails 27 will, in view of the connection to the floating fender 1 l by means of the rollers 30, not be able to move in horizontal direction to any material extent because the floating fender 11 is, by the bars 12, fixed in the longitudinal direction of the ship and is, by the cables 21, fixed in a transverse direction thereto relative to the ship body.

When during its upward movement the supporting frame 7 approaches the joints 28, on that side of frame 7 which faces away from the rails 27 there is established a follower connection which in the upwardly ad jacent range of the lifting movement prevents a pendulum movement.

To this end, yoke 38 which connects the rear ends of support 3 has connected thereto two additional rails 39 which extend downwardly and are spaced from the vertical longitudinal central plane of the ship by the same distance as the rails 27. Guided on these rails 39 are carriages 40 in the same manner as the carriages 31 are guided on the rails 27 and are guided by means of rollers 41. The movement of the carriages 40 in downward direction is limited by abutments 42 which are located at the lower ends of the rails 39.

The carriages 40 have hooks 43 which are open in downward direction and which engage with play eyes 44 of the supporting frame 7 when the latter is moved upwardly. Shortly thereafter, the eyes 37 will at the front side of the supporting frame 7 disengage the hook 36 of the carriages 31 inasmuchas the carriages 31 are slightly below the joints 28 prevented by abutments from continuing their upward movement. In this way, the supporting frame 7 with the container 9 suspended thereon will also be prevented from carrying out pendulum movements in the upper range of its lifting stroke.

The same applies during the lowering of the supporting frame 7 within the two ranges of the lowering stroke so that the supporting frame 7 can without loss in time properly be placed upon the floating container 9 which is held by the floating fender 11. Also, the lowering of the containers 9 onto the water is effected without harmful pendulum movements.

The invention may also be employed when the lifting mechanism for the supporting frame 7 is not stationarily mounted on the supports 3 but pertains to a gantry crane or a traveling crane which is adapted to move over the upper deck 1 and to distribute the containers moved out of the water in the stock room or picks up the containers from the stock room in order to set them down into the water. In this connection, it is merely necessary that the supporting frame 7 when during its lifting operation reaches the upper end of the rails 39 is disengaged from the carriages 40, or that a container which has been moved from the hull of the ship by the crane into the position above the support 3 is, prior to being lowered, brought into follower connection with the carriages 40.

The invention is also applicable when the transloading of the container is not effected at the stern but at the bow of the ship.

The invention may also be utilized when the floating containers are from the water loaded not onto a ship but onto a stationary transloading installation.

The rails are, of course, designed so long that also at the lowest draft of the ship 1 they can with sufficient long lower ends be passed through the rollers 30 of the floating fender 11. When the rails 27 are not necessary, above all during the sailing of the ship, the rails 27 are in the joints 28 pivoted toward the rear end in upward direction after they have been pulled out of the openings 29 of the floating fender 11. In this position they are latched or locked above the water, however, it is also possible to pull the rails 27 when not required by a non-illustrated auxiliary winch upwardly to such an extent that they no longer immerge in the water. In this instance, the rails 27 are not pulled out of the floating fender 11 which was previously moved into a position indicated by dot-dash lines in FIG. 1. In these circumstances the threading in of the rails into the opening 29 of the floating fender will not be necessary when the floating fender takes over its task of supporting the floating containers.

As will be evident from the above, the present invention brings about the advantage that the lifting of floating containers out of the water and conveying them into a ship, or the like, as well as the lowering of containers from the ship, or the like, into the water can be effected also when the water moves considerably and also at difi'erent draft of the ship. This can be effected reliably and while avoiding pendulum movement of the supporting frame and of the containers so that losses in time will be avoided and a highly satisfactory economy of the transloading operation will be assured.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular showing in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Whatis claimed is:

l. A device for transloading containers, especially in connection with a ship, including a vertically moveable support frame adapted to engage a floating load from above and connected to lift cables which extend upwardly to cable winches, said device also comprising a floating body adapted on one side for engagement with the side of a container facing the ship and connected to the ship for vertical movement relative thereto while being prevented from any substantial amount of horizontal movement relative to the ship; vertical tracks at the side of said support frame facing the ship and carriage means guided on the tracks and engageable with said support frame to prevent swinging of the support frame, said tracks at the upper end being connected to said ship and at the lower end extending through said floating body, and means on said floating body through which said tracks extend and permitting said floating body to move vertically relative to said tracks and to tilt relative thereto but preventing horizontal movement of said floating body relative to said tracks.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which said tracks extend upwardly from beneath the lowermost position of said support frame to a point beneath the uppermost position of said support frame, and further vertical tracks supportingly connected to the ship and disposed on the side of said support frame which faces away from said ship, said further tracks extending from below said point upwardly, and further carriages guided on said further tracks and engageable with said support frame.

3. A device according to claim 2 in which said further carriages engage said support frame during upward movement thereof prior to disengagement of the support frame from said carriage means while during downward movement of said support frame said carriage means engages the support frame prior to disengagement of the support frame from said further carriages.

4. A device according to claim 2 in which said further carriages comprise downwardly opening hooks adapted for engagement with upwardly opening sockets on said support frame.

5. A-device according to claim 1 in which said carriage means are biased upwardly on said tracks and are engageable with said support frame from below, said carriage means having upper stopped positions below the uppermost position of said support frame wherein said support frame disengages therefrom during upward movement and engages therewith during downward movement.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which said carriage means have upwardly opening hooks thereon adapted for engagement with downwardly opening sockets on said support frame.

7. A device according to claim 1 in which said floating body on the said one side which faces away from the ship is adapted to engage a side of a container, roller members mounted on vertical axes near the ends of said floating body and protruding beyond the said one side of said floating body and operable to guide a floating container into a position of registration with said floating body and to confine the container in the lateral direction when the container is in registration with said floating body and in face to face engagement with the said one side of the floating body.

8. A device according to claim 7 in which said floating body has magnet means thereon at said one side to exert a holding force on a container engaging said one side.

9. A device according to claim 8 which includes means connecting said floating body to said ship and operable to move said floating body in the lateral direction to facilitate alignment of a container engaged by said floating body with said support frame.

10. A device according to claim 1 in which said tracks are disengageable from said floating body and at the upper ends are pivotally connected to said ship and are pivotal about the upper ends thereof to rest position. 

1. A device for transloading containers, especially in connection with a ship, including a vertically moveable support frame adapted to engage a floating load from above and connected to lift cables which extend upwardly to cable winches, said device also comprising a floating body adapted on one side for engagement with the side of a container facing the ship and connected to the ship for vertical movement relative thereto while being prevented from any substantial amount of horizontal movement relative to the ship; vertical tracks at the side of said support frame facing the ship and carriage means guided on the tracks and engageable with said support frame to prevent swinging of the support frame, said tracks at the upper end being connected to said ship and at the lower end extending through said floating body, and means on said floating body through which said tracks extend and permitting said floating body to move vertically relative to said tracks and to tilt relative thereto but preventing horizontal movement of said floating body relative to said tracks.
 2. A device according to claim 1 in which said tracks extend upwardly from beneath the lowermost position of said support frame to a point beneath the uppermost position of said support frame, and further vertical tracks supportingly connected to the ship and disposed on the side of said support frame which faces away from said ship, said further tracks extending from below said point upwardly, and further carriages guided on said further tracks and engageable with said support frame.
 3. A device according to claim 2 in which said further carriages engage said support frame during upward movement thereof prior to disengagement of the support frame from said carriage means while during downward movement of said support frame said carriage means engages the support frame prior to disengagement of the support frame from said further carriages.
 4. A device according to claim 2 in which said further carriages comprise downwardly opening hooks adapted for engagement with upwardly opening sockets on said support frame.
 5. A device according to claim 1 in which said carriage means are biased upwardly on said tracks and are engageable with said support frame from below, said carriage means having upper stopped positions below the uppermost position of said support frame wherein said support frame disengages therefrom during upward movement and engages therewith during downward movement.
 6. A device according to claim 1 in which said carriage means have upwardly opening hooks thereon adapted for engagement with downwardly opening sockets on said support frame.
 7. A device according to claim 1 in which said floating body on the said one side which faces away from the ship is adapted to engage a side of a container, roller members mounted on vertical axes near the ends of said floating body and protruding beyond the said one side of said flOating body and operable to guide a floating container into a position of registration with said floating body and to confine the container in the lateral direction when the container is in registration with said floating body and in face to face engagement with the said one side of the floating body.
 8. A device according to claim 7 in which said floating body has magnet means thereon at said one side to exert a holding force on a container engaging said one side.
 9. A device according to claim 8 which includes means connecting said floating body to said ship and operable to move said floating body in the lateral direction to facilitate alignment of a container engaged by said floating body with said support frame.
 10. A device according to claim 1 in which said tracks are disengageable from said floating body and at the upper ends are pivotally connected to said ship and are pivotal about the upper ends thereof to rest position. 